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Available NOW from your local bookshop or order from Blackwell's using this handy QR code....

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About
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WELCOME!

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Death of an Englishman: an Oxford mystery, my debut novel, is now out in the world. The official publication date is 28th April 2025, but ask your local bookshop and you can have be one of the first readers. I really enjoyed writing the book and I hope you'll enjoy reading it!

This is a big change from what I've been doing for the last 20 years: writing biographies, some about people you’ll know (Milton, Ralegh and Shakespeare), others about people you may not know -  yet. I’m especially proud of my feisty, feminist and accessible accounts of female creatives: my most influential book, Sounds and Sweet Airs: The Forgotten Women of Classical Music (2016) and my most recent, Eve Bites Back: An Alternative History of English Literature (2022).
 

But, in other ways, this is Beer business as usual. Death of an Englishman is filled with all the things that I love: strong female characters, fierce historical debates, and - of course - long train rides.

 

Happy sleuthing! 
 

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Photo: John Cairns

My Books
Services

Looking for a speaker or mentor?

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With a string of ‘smart, funny and highly readable’ books to her name, Anna Beer brings a mix of entertainment and insight to any occasion. A regular media presence (film, TV, radio and podcasts), Anna has extensive public speaking experience nationally and internationally, from appearances at all the major literature and history festivals to guest lecturing for Cunard, from after-dinner speeches at Oxford University, where she is a Fellow of Kellogg College, to keynote addresses for leading cultural institutions.

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Mentoring

Whether you're just starting out, or an established author seeking support, I'd like to hear from you. I offer a free first meeting when we can explore how I can help you take your writing to the next level.

LATEST MEDIA

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BBC Sounds - Short History Of... Walter Raleigh

BBC Podcast available to listen on BBC iPlayer and Apple Podcasts.

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Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn

Documentary Directed by the unheralded composer’s great great great granddaughter. Dartmouth Films

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Unputdownable, game-changing crime fiction

The best books of unputdownable, game-changing crime fiction from the Queens of Pulp. View on Shepherd.

Events

Upcoming Events

  • Murder in Oxford: Dorothy L Sayers and Me
    Murder in Oxford: Dorothy L Sayers and Me
    08 Jun 2025, 14:00 – 16:00
    Somerville College, Woodstock Rd, Oxford OX2 6HD, UK
    “It doesn’t do to murder people, no matter how offensive they may be”: writing an Oxford murder mystery in the shadow of Dorothy L. Sayers https://www.some.ox.ac.uk/news-events/event/sundays-at-somerville
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  • Murder She Wrote (Oxford style)
    Murder She Wrote (Oxford style)
    27 Jul 2025, 18:30 – 19:30
    Beckley, High St, Beckley, Oxford OX3 9UU, UK
    Back for another 'more than a pub' event in Beckley - talking about Oxford's fictional detectives
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  • Sherborne Historical Society - 2025 Season Kickstart
    Sherborne Historical Society - 2025 Season Kickstart
    25 Sept 2025, 19:00 – 23:00
    Location is TBD
    I'll be giving a talk for Sherborne Historical Society, kickstarting their 2025 season. Details TBC - watch this space. https://www.sherbornehistoricalsociety.co.uk/upcoming-talks
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  • Oxford's Fictional Detectives
    Oxford's Fictional Detectives
    07 Oct 2025, 14:00 – 15:00
    Headington, Gladstone Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 9LL, UK
    Delighted to be speaking to the U3A in Headington. And having tea and biscuits afterwards!
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PRAISE  FOR  ANNA  BEER

"Beer pulls no punches, and her history is complex, nuanced, and fascinating. This feminist corrective sings."

Publishers' Weekly

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